Bangkok's Phahonyothin Area: Things to See & Do

Overview of Bangkok's Phahonyothin Area

The Phahonyothin area of Bangkok is centered around Phahonyothin road, starting from the Victory Monument, a major bus/Skytrain interchange. It is sided by Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, both stretching northward all the way past the old Don Muang Airport towards Rangsit and Highway 1 to Ayutthaya and (if you keep driving long enough) Chiang Mai.

What to see and do in Bangkok's Phahonyothin Area

Victory Monument: Constructed in 1941 after the French Indochina War to commemorate those who lost their lives, this Bangkok landmark is now better known as Bangkok's largest local bus hub. If traveling north by Skytrain, you'll be treated to a 180-degree curving panorama of the Monument, and this is the best view you can get as actually reaching the base of the monument would require passing through a triple-laned traffic circle maelstrom of buses.

Chatuchak Weekend Market:  BTS Mo Chit, Metro Kampaeng Phet. Northern Bangkok's biggest draw, this vast 35-acre outdoor market has over 8,000 vendors selling anything and everything under the sun - to put that number in perspective, if you browsed each stall each one minute, non-stop for 8 hours on both Saturday and Sunday, it would take you around two months to visit them all! A good rule of thumb is to buy immediately if you spot something interesting, because you will never find the same stall again. The market opens at 7 AM, so get there early to beat the crowds and the heat. Keep an eye on your belongings here as pickpockets work in the crowds, and avoid Chatuchak on rainy days as the roofs and drains here aren't quite up to a tropical downpour. Silom's Suan Lum Night Bazaar is worth considering as an alternative to Chatuchak - it's more centrally located, it's open at night when it's cooler and there are a number of restaurants where cold beer and decent food is available. The range of goods on offer is, however, not quite as immense at at Chatuchak.

Or Tor Kor Market: Right next to Chatuchak, far fewer tourists make it to the best place in Bangkok to buy high-quality plants and produce straight off the farm at Thai prices.